Roller center-bearing plate.



L. W. BARBER & E. W. WEBB.

ROLLER CENTER BEARING PLATE. APPLICATION LED MAR. 28, 1903.

Patentgd Dec. 1,1908. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE W. BAR-BER AND'EDWIN 'W.

WEBB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO STANDARD CAR TRUCK COMPANY, OF CHIGAGO,ILL1NOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ROLLER cnn'rnnaananmc PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 28, 1908. Serial No. 428,868.

Patented Dec. 1.190s.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEE W. BARBE and EDWIN W. WEBB, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller Center-Bearing Plates; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, .10 such. as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. O'u'r invention has for its object to provide an improved roller-equipped center bearing for cars, and other similar uses; and to this end, our invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Our improved center bearing is-illustrated go in the accompanying drawings. .wherein like reference characters refer "to like parts throughout the several-views.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the center bearing, detached, on the line w m in respect to the ringjshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a similar iew of the upper plate, separated from the ..-'"10.wer plate, with the roller retaining ring and most of the rollers removed, but with 30 one roller shown in removing osition; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the r0 1e1- retaining spring ring, detached. I The numeral 1 re resents the lower which is adapted to e secured to the b0 ster or other part of. the car truck.

.The numeral 2 represents the upper plate which is adapted to be secured to the body bolster of the car. The two plates have telescoping hubs of the proper construction to admit the usual king pin, not shown.

The numeral 3 represents conical rollers' which are radially disposed between the tread surfaces of the two plates. The upper plate 2 is provided with an outer dependlng ange 4 properly disposed to afford an abutment for the outer or large ends of the rollers 3. The hub of the upper plate 2 is provided with an outwardly extended horizontal flange 5 which under reaches the to inner ends of the rollers 3, when the latter are in working position, and, for distinction, may be'called the pocketing flange. The lower plate 1 is so constructed that, when the parts are in working position, the face of the pocketing flange 5 W111 be on ,thelevel I late . with or slightly below the inner edge of the raised tread surface of the lower plate. The

upper outer edge of the pocketing flange 5 is cut awayto afford a seat 6 for a split spring ring 7 which, when in position there- 0 on, cooperates with the flanges 4. and '5 to hold the rollers properly pocketed on the upper plate; or, otherwise stated, in such a .way that the rollers remain permanently with the upper plate as long as the ring 7 5 remains in position. The parts are so proportioned that when the split ring 7 is removed, the clearance will be suflicient to permit an roller 3 to assume the position shown in Fig. 2, and hence, to be readily 7o removed or permitted to drop out from the upper plate.

As shown, the faceof the pocketing flange 5 is cut awa on an incline upward and inward from the horizontal section of the seat v 6 for the ring 7. This enables the proper clearanee for the removal of the rollers to be secured. without requiring the flange 5' to extend too far below the tread surface of the lower plate, andenables a retaining ring of less height to be em loyed. It also has the further advantage tl iat the ring 7 will tend to climb up the inclined part of its seat far enough to insure its retaining function in respect to the rollers. The ring 7 can, of course, readily be sprung to a sutficient ex- 1 tent to be placed in-the seat .6 or to be re.-- moved therefrom, when desired. In applying or removing the-ring, the upper plate 2 would naturally be turned on its back, and this would also be its natural position when locating the rollers thereon. For removing the rollers, they can either be picked out, one at a time, with the plate lying on its back, or be made to all drop out simultaneously, by turning the plate right side up and lifting the same away from the rollers, after the ring has be'enremoved.

The tread surfaces of the two plates conform, of course, to the'shape of the interposedconical rollers 3 so as to bear thereon to the full radial length of said tread surfaces. The whole load is taken on the tread surfaces, therol'lers, and the outer or thrust flange 4 of the .upper plate. The rollers never come in contact with the ,hub of the upper plate or the pocketin flange 5 thereof except when being place in or removed from working. position. The rollers are cone 'frustums, the axes and surface lines of which i would, if produced, all meet at the common axis of the two plates. The outer or larger ends of the rollers are rounded to the form of an arc struck on a radius e ual to the distance of the thrust flange 4 1 rom the com mon axis of the two, lates at a point coincident with the axis of one of the rollers; and the upper or bearin surface of the inner face of said thrust ange is struck on the same are so that the rollers and the bearing surface ofthe thrust flange are in contact from the axes of the rollers upward to the point or line where the peripheral corners of the rollers are slightly cut away. This gives thereby afl'ording a ready means for the outward escape of, anydust or dirt which mayet between the rollers or onto the tread surace of the lower plate. The clearance between the fiange 5 of the upper plate and the underlyin lower plate is ample to catch and hold I all t e dust or dirt which may reach the inner ends of the rollers, or fall from the inner edge of the tread surface of the lower plate.

I v to secure the maximum spring ring cooperating with the .flan 'e of "The tread surfaces of the two plates are conical surfaces, and as many as possible of the rollers are placed between the same so as I bearing surface of the roller form,

Especial attention is called to the split the upper plate to hold the rollers pocketed thereon. This effects a' simplification and decrease in the cost of construction, while affording. a device which isentirely reliable and durable in service. 'As far as we know, we are the first to so pocket the rollers on either plate by means of a removable split ring, and, hence, we desire to claim the same broadly herein.

That we claim is :r

1. A center bearingcomprising lower and upper plates and rollers radially disposed between said plates, one of said plates having a thrust flange engaging the outer ends of the rollers, and' a pocketing flange overlapping the inner and adjacent ends of the rollers, and a retaining ring detachably applied to said pocketing flange and constitut ing a'supplemental part thereof, and which pocketing flange, when the ring .is removed, permits removal of. the rollers, and-which retaining ring, when in position on said pocketing flange, cooperates with the two flanges to hold-the rollers in working positions.

2. A center bearing comprising lower and upper plates having telescoping hubs,-conicalf rollers radially disposed between said plates, said upper plate having a depending:

thrust flaneat its outer edge and a rollerv ange on its hub, and a split ring pocketin removab y applied tosaid pocketlng flange and cooperating with said two flanges to. hold the rollers pocketed on the upper plate,

substantially as described,

3. The combination with lower and upper plates having telescoping hubs, of conical rollers radially disposed between tread surfaces of said two plates, which upper plate is provided with a depending thrust flange having its inner surface so shaped that the rollers bear against the same only from their axes upward and-that there is clearance between the two from the axes of the rollers downward, said upper plate also having a pocketing flange on its hub formed with a ring seat with inclined surfaces extending inward and upward therefrom, and a split ring applied to said seat and cooperating with said two flanges to hold the rollers pocketed on said upper plate, the said lower plate bem of less diameter than the inner circle of sai thrust flange, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

1 LEE W. BARBER.- v 4 EDWIN WFWEBB. Witnesses Y LESTER V. BnA'r'roN, v W-.- A. MUNGER. 

